Welch, in Oakland Green, Wins His First Start

A fan at Angels Stadium in Palm Springs was watching Bob Welch pitch in an exhibition game against the Angels last month when he turned to a companion and said: “He still pitches the same, but he just doesn’t look right in that green and yellow uniform.”

Welch spent his first 10 reasons in the majors in Dodger blue, of course, and admits he was shocked when he learned that he had been traded to Oakland last December. He also admits to being a little hurt and a lot disappointed . . . for a while, anyway.

Then he started thinking about the Athletics’ lineup--you know, the one that averaged five runs a game last year and looks even more potent in 1988--and things didn’t seem so bad anymore. After all, Welch was 15-9 last year and in the nine games he lost, the Dodgers managed a total of 15 runs.

Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s big hitters didn’t exactly terrorize Seattle pitching, but Welch held up his end of the bargain in his American League debut. He pitched 7 innings and gave up 7 hits, but didn’t allow a run while striking out 6 and walking 3 and got the victory as Oakland beat the Mariners, 6-0, in front of 14,005.

It was only 2-0 while Welch was in there, but the Mariners never had a runner on third, although Jim Presley was there for a split second in the fourth, the only inning Welch yielded more than one hit. Presley and Rey Quinones had back-to-back two-out singles in the inning, but Welch got out of the jam when Presley came off the bag after going from first to third on Quinones’ hit and was tagged out by Carney Lansford.

“Bob was rushing out there at times, and I think we’ll see him when he’s even better,” Oakland Manager Tony La Russa said, “but he made the good pitches when he had to, and that’s what good pitching is all about.”

Welch was also quick to point to the defense.

“We had a couple of great defensive plays that were real shots in the arm for me,” he said. “I don’t know if I had great stuff, but anytime you win and they don’t score, you’ve got to be pretty satisfied with your performance.”

For one night, anyway, the Welch trade looked like a pretty sweet deal for the A’s. Tuesday night, Welch had the same stuff--hard fastball, dipping split-finger fastball and snapping curve--that carried him to his finest all-around season last year. He led the National League in shutouts (4), was second in innings pitched (251), third in strikeouts (196), tied for fifth in wins and sixth in earned-run average (3.22) in 1987. And he held hitters to a .221 average.

The Dodgers, however, were pitching rich and defense poor, so, in a three-way deal with the A’s and New York Mets on Dec. 11, they traded Welch and Matt Young to Oakland and got shortstop Alfredo Griffin and relievers Jay Howell and Jesse Orosco in return.

“Bobby was one of the five best pitchers in the league last year,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “I love him and I’m gonna miss him. He’s like a son to me. But trades are part of baseball, and Bobby understands that.

“The A’s really helped themselves, no question, but we had to do something and Alfredo will be a great shortstop and a team leader for us.”

For the first time in a decade, Welch spent his spring somewhere other than Vero Beach, Fla. He discovered that spring training is, well, spring training, whether it’s on the beach in Florida or in the desert in Arizona.

“I had a good opportunity to work this spring, and the A’s have an excellent program to help you get ready,” Welch said before Tuesday’s game. “We had a bunch of fun squeezed in around hard work. The whole team did a lot of work on conditioning, and I feel ready to go.

“The rest remains to be seen.”

La Russa liked what he saw Tuesday night and can hardly wait to see the rest. He’s got a wealth of new players on his roster--including guys such as Dave Parker and Don Baylor--but Welch could be the one with the most impact.

“Nothing we did in the off-season excites me more than adding him to our staff,” La Russa said. “He’s been everything we expected and more. I was looking forward to this start, but I’m looking forward to the next 35 or 36 even more.”

LaRussa might have had some doubts in the first few minutes Tuesday night, however. Welch got off to a shaky start in the first but ended the inning in vintage Welch fashion.

He got behind leadoff hitter Mike Kingery, who singled to center on a 3-and-1 pitch. Mickey Brantley flied to left, but Welch walked Alvin Davis on four pitches. He started off designated hitter Ken Phelps with a curveball for a strike and seemed to find his rhythm. He struck out Phelps swinging, and got Glenn Wilson looking to end the inning.

After that, he seemed more and more at ease as the game wore on.

“You know the funny thing is I feel really comfortable in green and gold,” Welch said. “This was the color of my junior high uniform and my high school uniform and my college (Eastern Michigan) uniform. I like this uniform.”

And, as far as the A’s are concerned, he wears it well.